Alanis

Alanis Morissette

I went to Alanis Morissette's Can't Not Tour Live in Manila gig as a favor to a reviewer friend. It was also for free so why not? But upon noticing the predominantly young people outside the venue, I had an afterthought. Honestly, I could've backed-out right there and then. I think we're out of place.

It was the 90's. It was the decade of grunge, Lilith Fair and angst ridden songs. My kind of music is already passe if we were to base it on the poorly attended A Spanner in the Works tour by Rod Stewart held just a few months earlier.

Needless to say, I stayed and it turned out to be the right decision. Besides, I didn't want to deprive my friend of his concert review.

Inside the big dome, it was hot and humid. The audience bristling in anticipation. And when the Canadian lass came out to almost no fanfare with locks swirling clad simply in shirts and denims on a sparse stage, the crowd erupted!

I felt the ground shook as the fans stomped in unison to the intro of "Hand in My Pocket," fist pumped to "You Ought to Know," (surprisingly even the males) turned somber singing along to "Ironic" and reflective all throughout "Head Over Feet."

Everyone it seems, except me, knew the words to all of her songs even that so-called hidden track in her album sung acapella.

When Alanis broke into the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" for the encore, I smiled sheepishly like a young boy and said "She's an old soul after all!"

The following day after work, I went straight to the nearest record bar to snag a copy of Jagged Little Pill.

Talk about hang-over or to be more precise, impact.

No, Alanis Morissette didn't possess the elegance of Stevie Nicks, the towering presence of Chrissie Hynde, the iconic stature of fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell and the mystic of Grace Slick but at the height of her popularity, she was nearly as good as the aforementioned legendary rock goddesses.